If you have come across the characters \u849f\u91a4 and had no idea how to read them, you are not alone. Pronounced “kinma,” it refers to a carved-and-filled lacquer decoration technique closely associated with the lacquer tradition of Kagawa Prefecture. Yet even among people with a general interest in Japanese craft, clear answers to basic questions are hard to find. What distinguishes kinma from chinkin? Why Kagawa? What is actually happening in the making process?<\/p>\n
This article works through those questions in order: the definition and process of kinma, the role of its specialized carving knife (the kinma-ken), how it compares to other lacquer techniques, the lineage running from 19th-century master Tamakaji Zokoku to the Living National Treasures of today, its use as a tea utensil, and how to explain the technique to an international audience.<\/p>\n
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